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One strand good, 2 strands better? Really? Will the addition of that super-skinny thread really make a difference? And if i’m not that great of a knitter will I be able to manage it? And oh my, it’s looking p r e t t y pricey now you’ve added in those extra balls of fluff, … Mohair or no-hair?
It was quite early in Wendy Peterson’s young life as a knitter that she noticed her right leaning decreases were neater than her left leaning ones. It bothered her. It looked wrong and she wanted it to look right. This was long before knitting on the internet, before the time of hacks and FAQs. There were no online … The insatiably curious knitter
It’s a funny thing about the the tail end of the year, that whatever gets shaken up during that hurtling towards the end of December, it somehow always manages to settle down again when we get to the other side – the unfinished projects are reassuringly still unfinished and the woolly universe of patterns still … Introducing ourselves
It’s thanks to our local pub quiz at the Elderfield that I now know the meaning of the word Anatidaephobia (irrational fear of ducks) and Doraphobia (a dread of touching the skin or fur of an animal), or better to say, thanks to the genius quiz master, Lou, and her bottomless pit of obscure phobias. But so far, we’ve … A year through the shop window
In the early days of opening the shop, when asked where exactly it was, I would commonly answer, “just the other side of Paradise”. Paradise for those who do not know, is the Halal butchers just down the road. I could equally well have said, just down from the Ethiopian church, or around the corner … Knit the tradition
Shop regulars will know that we can talk about knitting gifts from mid summer if you like, but there’ll be no fairy lights or Christmas window action until we’re safely over the 1st December line. As we are now thankfully there, I thought it might be nice to share our getting-ready story with you.. It … Christmas won’t be Christmas without any..
“You have to learn this stuff from the beginning. It takes a long time” Ramon Cobo is the 4th generation of wool makers at the family mill in Castilla La-Mancha. In the time of his great grand father and great uncle, they would collect wool from farms close to Mota and take it by horse … A Dream Come True
Yesterday evening I left the shop with a plan to sit down and write to you all with a rather marvellous centuries-old story about a wool maker in central Spain. But by the time I got home a bit before midnight, the plan unexpectedly got up-ended. In the intervening hours I found myself in an … The Wee Small Hours Revisited
Helen Reed has an eyesight condition that, as far as I know, has no name. She sees the world in neon. Even people’s skin tones have a neon glow about them. Dry leaves yield neon yellows with pink undertones. Helen is the dyer behind The Wool Kitchen dye studio – a garden shed in Walthamstow, … Seeing the world in neon
A textured sweatered guy sits silouhetted by light coming through a misted up window with a glimpse of the sea in the distance. A weathered wooden table groans with delicious festive food and foliage, dimly lit with the glow of a couple of candles. A handily nearby piano hints at the promise of a tinkle … Count your stitches and your blessings will follow